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Before you scroll down to the comment box and begin typing your heated observations about my intelligence or lack of taste or where my head must actually physically be located on my person, let me begin by saying that I am a fan of the young Mr. Gordon-Levitt. He is a handsome young man and a good actor. I have enjoyed watching him grow up on screen, and think that he is quite talented and easy on the eyes.

However. Last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live left me disappointed. I was looking forward to Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a host (especially since I detest Seth MacFarlane and was irritated that I enjoyed him so much last week), but in the end I was, frankly, underwhelmed. LET ME FINISH BEFORE YOU SCROLL DOWN TO THE COMMENTS. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was adorable and eager, but he came off almost too eager, acting completely over-the-top in most every sketch. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s performances were delivered at a 12 or 13: loud and exaggerated and just generally too much. The only sketches he seemed genuinely at ease in were the pre-taped “Tres Equis” commercials. But when Gordon-Levitt was in front of a live audience, he couldn’t seem to calm down and settle into his characters, and as a result, many of the bits came off hammy and exhausting.

Mostly this episode left me with more questions than anything. Why was Joseph Gordon-Levitt doing a Magic Mike tribute in the opening monologue when, as far as I can recall, he was not in that movie (not that I or more than half of the viewing audience minded terribly)? Or was it supposed to be a spoof of Channing Tatum’s opening monologue? And if it was, why? Who thought that detective sketch was funny enough to go so early in the night? In fact, what was with all the weird, almost surrealistic bits last night? Who thought Jay Pharoah’s Michael Strahan impersonation was funny enough to work as the cold open? Why are we still doing Robert Pattinson jokes? Is it for the same reason Joseph Gordon-Levitt took off his clothes in the opening monologue? Because SNL has figured out that the majority of its viewers are 14-year-old girls on tumblr who like to make gifs? Finally, whose idea is it to waste all the best SNL bits this week on the Thursday election special? Because as far as I can tell, there isn’t enough actually funny material to go around…

Alright. Feel free to go comment now.

But before you say anything too mean, here’s a bonus gif. Let’s be friends!

Perhaps the funniest sketch of the night was the hypnotist bit, in which Taran Killam does the best ironic (almost)-naked Tyrannosaurus Rex impersonation ever. Bonus points for this not being a retread of a previously done-to-death bit (see: the London Pub, “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” skit — although the Sandusky joke in that one was pretty good and I’d link to it, had it been available).

“My Daughter” and the “Private Detective” are two examples of new bits that didn’t work as well. But it is worth noting that Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes a lovely girl.

I wanted to love “The Finer Things,” a sketch that makes fun of how rappers have transitioned into fashionistas in recent years. And the last bit with the wine charms I found amusing (I was going to say charming before I stopped myself). But this is a prime example of Joseph Gordon-Levitt overdoing it and making me very, very tired.

The “Tres Equis” spoofs. At first, I was like “OH BROTHER.” But then! I was pleasantly surprised with the second commercial, which kept the entire conceit from being a one-joke, “it’s like the Most Interesting Man in the World, but NOT!” bit.

Related: Jason Sudeikis, please don’t ever quit.

In fact, all of the fake commercials last night were hilarious. “Undecided Voter?” Genius.

And “g.o.b Tampon,” while slightly more obvious and relying on more scatological humor, was still a pretty incisive political sketch.

While we’re talking about political humor, it’s worth noting that the best parts of “Weekend Update” this week were Seth Meyer’s “What Are You Doing?” rant, and Kate McKinnon’s Ann Romney impersonation. Indeed, Ann Romney, who doesn’t love Bayonsay?

However, for really sharp political humor, Saturday Night Live delivered on their Thursday night election special. (And I was just saying last week that SNL was playing it too safe with the political humor … I’m getting tired of you proving me wrong, SNL.) The “Fox and Friends” cold open with Mitt Romney and his other secret tapes is not going to do much to convince conservative viewers that Saturday Night Live isn’t taking sides in this election. But the more honest of those viewers have to admit that it was pretty funny. Also, the “Fox and Friends” corrections is a recurring bit of which I never grow tired:

There are currently no bills before the House that would require women to have a transvaginal ultrasound before buying sunglasses.

The Taliban is not producing cereal called “Honey Bunches of Goats.”

Kirk Cameron is not the voice of Siri.

Miss America is not third in the order of succession for the Presidency, nor is Miss Teen USA fourth.

Airplanes do not fly by flapping their wings.

Patricia Heaton did not win a Nobel Prize for her work on “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

Hail consists of frozen water; it is not “made of sins.”

President Barack Obama does not plan to take the “forwarding” option away from email.

Disney World is not planning to add Rush Limbaugh to their Hall of Presidents.

Nowhere in the Bible does it mention Garth Brooks or Chris Gaines.

Turtles do not have “tiny TVs and sofa beds” inside their shells.

Pete Rose did not receive a lifetime ban from the Hallmark Hall of Fame.

“National Treasure” is a not a documentary even though it feels very real.

Wisconsin is an American state and not “just a bit.”

Mormons breathe air.

Horses do not have “teeth so sharp you wouldn’t believe it.”

Children raised by same-sex couples are not statistically more likely to let the American flag touch the ground.

“Psych” is a popular detective show on the USA Network, not a super-secret NASA Mind Experiment.

It takes more than five to six months of medical school to become a surgeon.

Sour Patch Kids are a snack food and therefore physically incapable of pulling a knife on someone.

Congress has not declared a “War on Jean Shorts.”

It is unlikely that Fareed Zakaria is Willem Defoe in character.

Babies tend to like hugs.

It is not illegal to discard a Christmas tree.

John Wilkes Booth was not wearing a hooded sweatshirt when he shot President Lincoln, nor were the Lincolns attending a staging of “The Vagina Monologues.”

There is no federal program called “Cash for Bees.”

You do not need a spaceship to get to China.

The Watergate is a hotel in Washington D.C., not a portal to an undersea kingdom.

Yellow and blue make green, not “blellow.”

The new World Trade Center does not transform into a karate robot.

Seeing-eye dogs are neither able to nor allowed to drive.

It is likely that immigrants do not feed on the blood of our cattle at night while we are all sleeping.

Baseball is a land sport.

It is widely accepted that ears are used for hearing.

Finally, Thursday night’s “Convention Cutaways DVD” is a political bit that people on both sides of the aisle can enjoy without their blood pressure rising, I promise.

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(By the way, I liked the original version of the opening monologue better.)

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..